Washing machine



J. JOHNSON. WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILEDAOCIT n, 1920.

Patehted Au 8,1922.

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WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATlON FIL ED OCT 11,1920.

Patented Aug; 8, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3 JfJOHNSON.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT 11, 1920.

Patented. Aug. 8 W22.

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4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

JOHN JOHNSON, OF EAST ALTON, ILLINOIS.

WASHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ari 8, 1922.

Application filed October 11, 1920. Serial No. 416,068.

To all '10 7mm it may concern:

.le it known that 1, JOHN JonNsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Alton, in the county of liiadison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments in washing machines, and is a distinct and practical improvement to overcome certain practical objections to, and defectsun, the present forms of reversing mechanism now employed in washing machine construction.

An object of the invention is the provision of means for automatically reversing the rotary movement of the clothes receptacle after a predetermined number of revolutions thereof in one direction.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and Finally pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like characters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved washing machine.

Fig. 2, is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the washing machine looking at the end thereof which is provided with the reversing mechanism.

Fig. 4, is a detail, mostly in sectional elevation, showing the valve arrangement for introducing air into the water of the clothes receptacle for lifting and loosening the clothes at the bottom of the receptacle.

Fig. 5, is a view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character 1 indicates a suitable cylindrical tank, or tub which is supported at either end by means of suitable supporting legs 2. The upper part of the tank 1 is provided with an opening which is closed by means of a suitable door 3.

1 indicates a cylindrical clothes recep- 11 supporting drive shaft 5 is fixed to one end of the clothes receptacle & and is journaled in, a suitable bearing 6 carried b one end of the tank, or tub 1. The opposite end of clothes receptacle 4 is prowhich shaft 11 is journaled. in suitable bearings 1 which are preferably united, al-

though not necessarily so, and which are provided with a suitable supporting leg 13.-

, 1 1 indicates a fixed pulley mounted upon the driven shaft 11, while 15 and 16 indicate loose pulleys mounted upon the driven shaft 11 on opposite sides of the fixed pulley 1 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. 17 indicates a belt which runs in one direction, and 18 indicates, a belt which runs in the opposite direction. The belt 17 rides over the loose pulley 15 when not riding over the fixed pulley 14, and the belt 18 rides over the loose pulley 16 when not riding over the fixed pulley 151, as is manifest. 19 indicates a belt guide which controls the sliding movement of belt 17, while 20 indicates a belt guide which'controls the sliding movement of the belt 18.

Y The upper end of the belt guide 19 is fixed to a movable, or shifting plate 21. This plate is slidably supported in a suitable manner by means of the hangers 22, which hangers are fixed to and depend. from a suitable bracket .23 that is suitably fixed at one end to one end of the tank, or tub 1. The belt guide 20 is pivotally connected near its upper end to a suitable bracket 24: which, in turn, is suitably fined to the movable plate 21. The upper end of the belt guide 20 is provided with a suitable handle 25 for shifting the belt 18 by hand, when so desired, such as for actuating a wringer, as will be set forth hereinafter. The belt guide 20 is locked in i desired position, by any suitable means, such for instance as a pin 26 passing through an opening in the belt guide 20 and the supporting bracket 24:.

2'? indicates a movable rack member having the cutaway portions 28 to form shoulders 29 at each end of each cutaway portion. The rack member 27 is slidably mounted at each end in suitable bearings 30, which bearings are suitably fixed tothe end wall of the tank, or tub 1, as shown.

A suitable pin, or projection 31 is fixed to the hub of the gear 9 and enters the cutaway portions 28 of the rack member 27 to engage the shoulders 29 in its rotary movement, thereby moving the rack member 27 a predetermined. distance in. the same direction as the travel of the pin 31, as is manifest. When the rack member 27 has traveled predetermined distance in one directiomto the right as an illustration, the

rackmem'ber 27 will engage and move the end, 32 of a suitable-bell-crank 33which works in a slotted opening 3 1 at one end of the rack member 27. The bell-crank 38 is fulcrumed, as at 35,- to a bracketZ-SG causing the opposite bifuroatedend 37 of the bell-crank 33 to move the shifting plate 21 through the medium of the pin3.8 away from the end of the tank-1 thereby shifting the belt 17 from the fixed pulley 1 1 tothe loose pulley 15 and belt-'18 from the loose pulley 16 to the fixed pulley 1a which reverses the movement of the rotatable clothes cylinder, or receptacle 4-, as is manifest. 1

When the rack member 27 has traveled its :limit to the left, a reverse movement of the i bell-crank 3 3 takes'place due'to the end of the slot 341 engaging the end '32 of the bellcrank 33 causing the bell-crank 33 to move the shifting plate 21 toward the end of the tank, or tab 1 thereby causing the belt 17 to ride upon the fixed pulley let'and the belt 18 to ride upon the loose pulley 16.

The means for introducing air into the cylindrical clothes receptacle 41 from the bot tom thereof will now bedescribed.

. 39 indicates a suitable air cylinder suitably fiXed to a bracket 40 which is suitably fixed to the tank, or tub 1. The cylinder 39 "is provided with a suitable intake-check valve ll at its upper end and a suitable intake check valve at its lower end. Leading from opposite ends of the cylinder 39 is an air delivery pipe 12, which pipe is provided with the suitable check valves 13 and as. A. suitable piston 1 1 is arranged'to reciprocate within the cylinder 89. p A suitable piston rod 45 is suitably connected at its upper end to the lower end of the piston 44L and at its lower end to an eccentric pin 4.6 which is fixed to the pinion 10, as shown in Fig. 1.

The air delivery pipe 42 is connected at oneend to the spindle 8. The spindle 8 is provided with a longitudinal passage 47.

Communicating with the passage 1-7 is a vertical passage 48 extendmg upwardly from the bottom surface of the spindle 8, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. i

419, 50, 51 and 52 indicate airdelivery pipes, each having the multiplicity of air outlet openings 53. The air delivery pipes fixed in equal spaced relation to the pipe 59.

into the perforated air discharge pipe in communication with the vertical air passage causing the air to be directed upwardlyagainst the clothes in the clothes cylinder 4 to loosen and cleanse the same, as is manifest. It will be observed that this action upon the clothes will be repeated four times during each revolution of the clothes cylind er, or receptac e V Each end of the clothes) receptacle 4: is provided with a multiplicity of openings 1 to permit the water within the tank, or

tub 1 to enter the clothes receptacle 4, as'

shown.

In order to heat the water-in the tank,

or tub 1, I employ a plurality of suitable burners connected to a suitable fuel feed the water Within the tank 1.-

The means for supporting and a wringer will now bedescribed.

indicates driven shaft suitably supported under the tank 1 and provided at one end with a suitable gear 61 meshing with a suitable gear 62, which gear 62 is fixed to the loose pulley 16. A friction drive disc 63 is fixed to the opposite end of the driven shaft 60 and a driven'disc 6a fixed to a vertical shaft 65 is suitably held in contact with the driven disc 63.

' Tlie vertical shaft 65 is supported by means of'a suitable bracket 66. The upper end of the vertical shaft, 65 is square in cross section, and is receivable in a socket formed in the shaft 6? which is supported by means of the bracket 68. The upper end.

of the socket shaft (37 is provided with a bevel gear 69 adapted to'mesh with a bevel gear 70 fixed to the shaft 71 of the lower Gas, oil, or gasoline maybe used as the fuel for furnishing the heat to heat actuating roller '72 of the wringer 73. The upper roller 74 of the wringer is rotated in the usual manner, hence further thought unnecessary and superfluous. The wringer 73 is supported upon a swinging explanation is arm 75 which is swinginglysupported by means of the socket shaft 67. p

76 ndicatesa suitable water drain pipe 1 having a suitable valve 77.

When it is desired to actuate the wringer,

3 the operator shifts the'belt 18 through the medium of the belt guide lever 25 from the lixed pulley let to the loose pulley 16 while the belt 1'? remains in engagement with the loose pulley 15. This causes the loose pulley 16 to drive the gear 62 fixed'thereto which gear meshing with the gear 61 revolves the Wringer drive shaft 60. The speed of the \vringer is regulated through the medium of the friction driving plates 63 and 64, as is manifest.

The many advantages of the herein described invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the exact details of construc tion and arrangement as herein described and illustrated, as itis manifest that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and the terms of the following claims, hence I Wish it to be understood that I reserve the right to make any such changes, or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims when fairly construed.

What I claim is: I

1. In means for imparting alternate rotation to a clothes cylinder, a gear fixed to the cylinder, a driven shaft, a gear fixed to said shaft and meshing with said first mentioned gear, a pulley fixed to said shaft, a I

pair of loose pulleys mounted upon said shaft, a pair of drive belts for said pulleys running in opposite directions, a rack mem ber, means for moving said rack member a predetermined distance in one direction, and means actuated by said rack member at the end of its travel in either direction for shifting the belts to reverse the rotation of said driven shaft and meshed gears.

22. An alternating rotary mechanism for Washing machines, consisting of a driven shaft having a fixed pulley and a loose pulley positioned on opposite side of said fixed pulley, a pair of belts driven in opposite directions, a pinion fixed to said driven shaft, a gear in mesh With said pinion, a rack member, means for supporting said rack member, means fixed to the gear for imparting movement in opposite directions to said rack member by the rotation of said gear and means actuated by said rack member at the completion of a full revolution of the gear for shifting the belts to ride over the selected pulleys for controlling the direction of rotary movement of said gear. In testimony whereof, I havehereunto signed my name to the specification.

JOHN JOHNSON. 

